The Different Types of Ostomies

For awhile, I wasn’t aware of the term ostomy. I think it was something that floated around and I had “known” of, but I didn’t really know what it meant or what part of the body it was related to. I just understood it as a medical term.

But when I did a little digging, it revealed
itself to me as something pretty simple: a surgical procedure to create a stoma
in someone’s abdomen for easier drainage of bodily waste. It made sense
considering there’s likely a slew of problems that can go wrong with the human
digestive tract and urinary system.

But I’ve recently begun to learn there are multiple types of ostomies, and because of that, I felt like sharing with you guys in case you weren’t aware of the multiple types. We’ve talked about the different types of products, like ConvaTec ostomy supplies, but we haven’t yet explored what all types of ostomies are out there. Let’s dive in!

Colostomy.

This is probably what most people think of when
they hear ostomy, and this is basically an opening created in the colon (or the
large intestine). Basically, part of the colon or rectum is removed and the
remaining colon is brought up to the abdominal wall for waste to drain there.

Ileostomy.

Next up is probably one of the lesser known
ostomies, and it’s very similar to a colostomy except it takes an opening from
the small intestine instead of the large intestine. Again, this is brought to
the abdominal wall to form a stoma.

Urostomy.

Here’s one that a lot of people may be familiar
with. Basically, urine is diverted away from the bladder that is diseased or
dysfunctional. The kidneys essentially send urine straight to the stoma.

Other
types of ostomies.

There are other procedures, such as continent urostomies and J-pouches, but those are much more uncommon than the three listed above, so for now we’ll save those for later. What’s important to remember is that ostomies all end up creating a stoma for waste to drain outside the body into a pouch. If you’re unsure where to begin shopping for pouching systems, try looking into ostomy supplies. It’ll be a quality brand that you can trust to get you started in the world of ostomy needs. And remember, having an ostomy is a blessing, not something to be ashamed of afraid to tell others. It’s part of you and a big reason you’re here and now.